Revitalized Blogging – Bad Attitude or Gratitude – November 1

Happy November 1st! Yes, I have returned to blogging after an unplanned hiatus for most of October. Some major obligations took priority over blogging, primarily centered on fulfilling a final wish for a terminally ill young man.

The summarized version of the story is this (with permission to share his story and pictures): a quilting friend, Linda, told me about a woman named Rachel in a mutual quilt group on Facebook who had posted about her nephew Sam’s wish for a certain quilt. He had received over 500 cards for his 20th birthday and one was a colorful owl.

Sam’s Aunt Rachel obtained permission from the artist, a young man named Ben, to allow the printing of his owl picture on Sam’s quilt and pillows. I had been working on the quilt, but then received the news during that first week of October that Sam’s health had declined and he didn’t have a good prognosis. I dropped just about everything – blogging, freelance work, housework – to get that quilt completed and shipped off to the UK for dear Sam by the following week.

Sam enjoyed his quilt and pillows for a short time; sadly, I received the news last week that he passed away on Oct. 28th. 🙁 I am thankful and feel blessed that I had the opportunity to be part of his story in his final days, to fulfill his wish for the quilt. I’m thankful I listened to that still small voice that suggested putting his smiling face photo with the original owl picture in the center of the quilt and pillow, so now his parents and loved ones can still enjoy seeing his smile and cuddle up in that same quilt and hug the pillow.

~~Rest in peace, Sam, free from pain at last~~

This leads me into the question for today’s post: what’s easier to do, express a bad attitude or a sense of gratitude? This is likely to be one of those situational considerations. When someone like Sam passes away (or a parent, as I’ve lost both of mine, or any loved one or friend), it is easy to have a bad attitude, and question God about WHY? On the other hand, even while grieving their loss and the sadness of no longer having them with us, we can express a sense of gratitude over the time we DID have them with us and all the precious memories.

What about when a family member or friend turns on you, becomes rude and looks for every opportunity to call you names and make false accusations? That person may go so far as to use social media to harass you in one way or another, or “unfriend” or “block” you on Facebook, or some combination of those things. What then? It would be easy to have a bad attitude, and express it in some way as an opportunity to “get even.” If that happens, you can acknowledge it, ask God for forgiveness, and be grateful for the lesson learned. You can’t force someone–even a family member or close friend–to be kind or even civil, if that person has strong feelings about something and won’t listen to reason or anybody else’s opinions or suggestions. At those times, it’s often better to just disengage, let go, and turn your family member over to God. Even when a family member or friend hurts or offends us, we shouldn’t stop loving or praying for that person.

Bad attitude or gratitude? It’s a choice we each must make in whatever situation we face.

~~*~~

So what about YOU?

Are you in the midst of any difficult situations?

Do you find it easy or difficult to choose to find something to be grateful about, rather than to have a bad attitude?

Right now, nothing difficult in the sense of having to face a terminal illness in myself or a loved one. Your post was beautiful, thinking about the last days of a 20 year old man who had his entire life ahead of him until this dread disease stole it – it’s easy to feel anger at the world. So easy.